Rusty comes from a long
history of artists, but had never been
satisfied with his own creative skills.
He tried calligraphy, drawing, painting
and even a spell at the potter's wheel in
high school. Everything attempted was
either "missing something," not "perfect" or
just seemed "out of place." At a young
age, he simply decided his 'art gene' was
missing.

Several years
after college, while visiting his mother (an
art teacher), he noticed a pottery wheel on
her back porch. For fun, Rusty asked
her to teach him and she agreed knowing she
would never get around to it. He
finally decided to take classes at the local
community college to prove to her that he
really wanted to give it a try.

Rusty studied at
Sierra College for
four years before
delving out on his
own. While
most of his
pottery
is functional, he is
now branching out
into the more artsy
raku style. He
is planning on
continuing this
adventure to see
where it takes him.